Exec charged in failed SC nuclear project pleads not guilty

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A business executive charged in the aftermath of a failed multibillion-dollar project to build two nuclear reactors in South Carolina has pleaded not guilty. Jeffrey A. Benjamin entered the plea in federal court Tuesday. Benjamin is a former executive at Westinghouse Electric Co., the lead contractor to build two new reactors at the V.C. Summer plant. Two utilities spent nearly $10 billion on the project before halting construction in 2017 after Westinghouse’s bankruptcy. Authorities say Benjamin repeatedly lied to the utilities about how far behind schedule and over budget the project was. Three other top-level executives have already pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a multiyear federal fraud investigation.